Got that "Drained" Feeling? Breastfeeding....

I nursed my first daughter till she was 15 months and I know I felt drained. It took a few months after we weaned to finally feel normal again.

My blood sugar levels become super high, like diabetic levels, while I'm nursing and was told by my doctor it is most likely that my body is utilizing all the energy it can from the foods I eat to produce milk. The side effect of high blood sugar though is feeling exhausted. After we weaned they returned to normal. Don't underestimate how much energy it takes to produce milk!

Now that I'm nursing baby number 2 I have that exhausted/ drained feeling again... so I definitely think it's related to milk production.
 
carang said:
not to mention that you are now mummy of 2 which is A LOT different to mummy of 1....
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Completely agree with Carang. I am mummy of 1, and I breastfeed and pump. Usually I sleep at 11 pm, have to get up at least once to breastfeed my baby at around 2-3 am, then again to move my baby from his cot to our bed at around 5-6 am (so that my hubby can move the cot out of our room when he get up to work), then I would sleep very lightly (because of my baby movement, hubby waking up, baby playing, etc) till around 7-7:30. Then I breastfeed and go to work. At work I pump twice at 12 and at 4.... go home, eat, watch some TV... bath baby, play with him, breastfeed him, put him to sleep... then I pump again before going to bed.......

I do take supplements though: prenatal vitamin, calcium supplement, soy lecithin (due to blocked ducts issue), fish oil (for extra omega-3)
 
lalligirl said:
I'd also recommend checking your B12 levels - i had pernicious anaemia for a bit, & was exhausted. I got a B12 shot & almost instantly felt better. I also find that pumping/working/breastfeeding takes it out of me & am always fighting to stay awake when i put my 2 year old down for the night...sometimes (often?) i lose! hope you can figure it out... it's nearly holidays, so maybe taking one thing (work) out of the equation will help.
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Sorry for the hijack, but I think you mean B12 deficiency. Pernicious anaemia is a chronic condition, not something you have 'for a bit.' I know because I was misdiagnosed with pernicious anaemia 7 years ago. In my case it took close to a year of B12 injections (3x a week for the first couple of months) before my B12 levels were anywhere near normal.
 
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Koan said:
Sorry for the hijack, but I think you mean B12 deficiency. Pernicious anaemia is a chronic condition, not something you have 'for a bit.' I know because I was misdiagnosed with pernicious anaemia 7 years ago. In my case it took close to a year of B12 injections (3x a week for the first couple of months) before my B12 levels were anywhere near normal.
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you may be right, but at the time my doc said that's what it was & gave me a B12 shot...it was around 7 years or so ago now, so the details are a bit hazy as to time frame, etc. in any case, the B12 helped!
 
I had the same problem and used a supplement called lactaboost, within a couple of days my flow was back to normal and it helped with the tiredness as well.
 
Hi T2, also worth checking thyroid function, thyroid probs post-partum are apparently common and can cause fatigue. Hope you feel better soon....
 
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